Shehan Samarathunga is now a cricket coach here

by Leslie Fernando

Cricket : Joining the elite panel of cricket coaches in Sri Lanka is a newcomer Shehan Samarathunga a former Maris Stella College, Negombo allround cricketer.

Shehan, probably the first person to successfully complete the certificate in Higher Education in Coaching Cricket at Newcastle College U.K., validated by Leeds Metropolitan University and endorsed by Durham County Cricket Club. He had the distinction to successfully complete ECB (England Cricket Board) Level I and Level II exam.

Shehan also had the opportunity of successfully following Emergency First Aid Sports awarded by St.John Ambulance in U.K. and also followed courses awarded by U.K. Sports Coach (The National Coaching Foundation) The programmes he was successful were in Equity in Coaching, Safeguarding and Protecting Children, Coaching Children and young people.

He also holds the qualification in Science of Human Movement, Coaching and the Psychology of Performance, Programmed Evaluation and Design, Personal and Professional Development, Management and Administration of Cricket and Work Based Project.

Shehan was a fine cricketer at Maris Stella College, Negombo. He started playing cricket in the year 1982 and has captained the college under-13, under 15, and under-17 teams. he was first coached by Gamini Debahapuwa. He performed well in all the teams he represented the college. Shehan also had the honour of captaining the Maris Stella College 1st XI team. Due to his outstanding performances Shehan was voted as the runner-up Most Popular Schoolboy Cricketer, Outstation in 1987.

His early success was when he toured England with the Sri Lanka Schools Under-18 cricket team. In the year 1989, he won the Best Bowler’s Award Outstation in the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year he was runner-up Best Allrounder Outstation, runner-up Best Bowler Outstation sponsored by Upali Group, runner-up Best Allrounder Outstation also sponsored by Upali Group.

Shehan Samarathunga played first-class cricket for Tamil Union and Antonian SC from 1990 to 1993. He won the Best Bowler’s award in the Mercantile ‘B’ division final in 1991. He was a member of the Tamil Union Cricket Club which won the Delmage Trophy and under-23 Yellow Pages Trophy.

In the year 1992 he toured Sharjah with the Travel Trade Cricket Team. Played league cricket and coached juniors at Chobham Cricket Club in Surrey, England. In 1996, Shehan captained the Negombo Cricket Club in the Sara Trophy cricket tournament. From 1997 to 1999, he coached at Jennings International School in Wenappuwa, won the best bowlers award in the MCA ‘C’ division cricket tournament in 2001.

He was the President of Wennappuwa Sports Club and was responsible for coaching cricket from 2004 to 2005. In 2008 he played and coached Seaton Burn Cricket (Senior League) in Newcastle, U.K. and in 2009 played and coached Cramlinton Cricket Club (Senior League in Newcastle, U.K.